Method of and apparatus for stowing cargoes



March 12, 1929. mTZ' 1,705,060

METHOD 0! AND AHARATUS FOR STOVIIUG 'CARGOES Filed April 10, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 35% INVENTQR B I;

WA TTORNEY March 12, 1929. F. HINTZ 1,705,060

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR STOWING CARGOES Filed pril 1 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I VENTOR MMK A TTORNE Y Patented Mar. 12, 1929.

. UNITED STATES.

PATENT, OFFICE LEROY I. HINTZ, OF CHIGAGO, ILLINOIS,. A S S IGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE GEBRABD COMPANY, 1100., OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A/CORPORATION OF DELA-' WARE.

METHOD or AND APPARATUS r03. s'rowmo cannons.

Application filed April 10, 1926. Serial No. 101,077.

This invention relates to method of and apparatus for stowing cargoes and particularly for grouping and securing together individual merchandise packages for transit or shipment into unit groups or assemblies, wherein the individual packages composing the group or assembly are held and maintained in close contact with eachother and against relativemovement within the group or assembly, and wherein the group or assembly as a unitary mass is unattached within the carrier an is restrained from movement by reason of the inertia'of the group or mass as a whole.

The object of the invention is to provide a method of and apparatus for use in connec.-- tion withthe stowage of cargoes on carriers, which is simple, economical andefiicient.

A further object of the invention is to provide a method of and means for binding a plurality of individual merchandise packages into a unitary mass or group assembly by means of binders applied around the group or mass under tension, wherein provision is made of means which are simple,

efficient and easily applied in use for temporarily supporting the binder means in position around the space to be occupied by the assembled group or mass in position to receive individual packages composing the group, and then to apply said binder means to and upon the assembled group under tension.

A further object of the invention is to provide a method of and apparatus of the nature referred to wherein a plurality of binders are temporarily supported and subsequently applied, as above referred to, and held in spaced apart relation with respect to each other in their temporary supports as well as in their applied position.

A further object of the invention is to provide a spacing rod or member which is simple and efficient and which is easily and readily applied to the binder means not only to temporarily support the latter, but also to retain their special relation after being appliedto the assembled mass or group.

Other objects of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter.

The invention consists substantially in the mode of procedure and in the structure and arrangement of parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, as hereinafter pomtedg out and finally defined in the appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings and to the various views and reference characters appearing thereon, Fig. 1 is a view in plan ofa portion of a carrier, such for illuspration as a freight car, showing the groupng of a plurality of merchandise-packages 1n positlon for the application thereto of binder means in accordance with the principlespf my'invention.

Flg. 2 is a similar view showing the as sembled packages bound together and held as a unitary mass in accordance with my invention, the rouping of the individual merchandise pac ages in the group being the same as that shown in Fig. 1. 1

Fig. '3 is a view in vertical section on the line 33 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows, and showing the assembled and bound unitary mass of packages.

Fig. ,4 is a view similar to Figs. 1 and 2, showing the unitary mass or group assembly of packages, after the application of binders thereto, in accordance with my invention in a different arrangement of individual packages.

Fig. 5 is a broken detailed view in elevation showing the application of a spacer rod to the binders. I

Fig. 6 is 'a view in section on the line 6 6, Fig. 5 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 7 is an end view of the spacer rod attached.

Fig. 8 is a, section on the line 88, Fig. 6 looking in the direction of the arrows.

The same part is designated by the ,same reference characters wherever they appear throughout the several views.

In my pending applications, Ser. No. 56,741, filed September 16, 1925, and Ser. No. 68,421, filed November 11, 1925, I have shown, described and claimed methods and apparatus for use in connection with the stowage of. cargoes on carriers, wherein a plurality of'individual merchandise packages are grouped into unit mass assemblies and binders applied therearound to'maintain the individual merchandise packages in close substantially immovable relation with respect to each other in the mass assembly, the mass assembly being unattached and free for movementexcept for the restraint afforded by its ownmass inertia. The present invention relates generally to methods ofv and 6 apparatus for use in connection with the same character of assemblage and grouping of merchandise packaging and is designed particularly for simplification and speed of application of the binder means, employed 10 in connection with the method and apparatus referred to.

In accordance with my present invention, before loading the carrier, such for instance as a railroad freight car, boat ship, truck,

or the like with the merchandise packages to be transported, I arrange within the space in the carrier, which is to receive the packages and in encompassing relation with respect to such space, two or more blnders 2 which are temporarily supported in spaced apart relation with respect to each other,

by attachments adapted to be applied to the inner walls of the carrier. When the hinders are thus preliminarily assembled and 2 sup orted, the merchandise packages are loa ed onto thecarrier and into the space surrounded or partially surrounded by the binders, the latter being temporarily supported in the manner above referred to.

Tension is then applied to the binders to draw them tight around the assembled units or individual merchandise packages, comosin the group, so as to tightly press and 101d t e assembled packages in close contact with each other, the application of the tension to the binders serving also to detach the temporary supports of the binders without displacing the latter from the binders,

so that when finally applied and secured under tension around the group or mass of packages, the temporary supports continue to serve the function of maintaining the binders in spaced relation with respect to Coach other in their applied and tensioned condition.

In accordance with my invention for' spacer rods or members to temporarily support the binders and to space them apart in their temporary support and in their finally applied or tension'ed positions, I provide a support in the form of arod, bar, stri or the like of the desired length dependin upon the size and nature of the shipping packages, each spacer rod or member having 5 one or both of its ends bent into a loop Wit its terminal ofi'set slightly away from the main body or stem part of the body spacer member or rod and pointed, so as to facilitate driving the same into the wall of the carrier to form a temporary support for the binder devices. The latter are received and retained in the loops formed at the respective ends of the spacer member or rod.

In Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8, I have shown a form of spacer rod embodying the principles of my invention and consisting of a main body or stem portion, 10, having its end portions bent to form loops 11, and thence mto angular relation, so as to extend past the main body portion or stem 10, and preferably in slight offset relation with respect thereto, as clearly shown at 12 in Fig. 8. The terminals 13 of these end portions are preferably pointed to facilitate the operation of driving the sameinto the inner wall surface of the carrier. The binders 14 are designed to pass through the loop portions 11, the latter constituting supports for the binders, the two looped portions at opposite ends of the spacer rods serving to space apart the binder.

In the practical application of my invention, before the merchandise packages 15 are loaded on or into the carrier, the binders 14, preferably a plurality of them, are disposed around the space to be occupied by the packages when loaded or stowed on or in the carrier; and to accomplish this in a sim le,

expeditious and eflicient manner, the rec ends 16 of the binders, and as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1 are led into and around the space to be occupied by the packages through the side doorway indicated generally at 17, at one 'side of the carrier, and thence train around and in encompassing relation with respect to the space referred to,

and out through the opposite doorway 18,

as indicated at dotted lines 19 in Fig. 1. After the binders are thus entrained and-disposed the spacer rods or members 10 at suit? able intervals apart are strung on to the binders by simply slipping the binder through the space 12, intervening between the free terminal ends of the spacer members and the stem portion thereof. This application of the spacing rods to thebinders is facilitated by turning the spacing rods until the end portions lie in substantially parallel relation to the binders. After the binders are thus disposed in the loops in the ends of the spacer rods, such spacer rods are again turned, so that the end portions are at sub- I I stantially right angles to the binders, as shown in Fig. 6. The operator then drives the pointed ends 13 of the spacer members into the inner surface of the walls of the carrier at suitably spaced apart points, thereby supporting the binders in spaced apart relation with respect to each other, and with reference to the vertical height of the packages to be bound. A plurality of merchandise packages to be bound together in a group and of the desired number to constitute the group are then loaded and suitably arranged with relation to each other to form a group of the desired size and number within the space around 'which the temporarily sup brought into position to lap past each otherand a strong tensioning pull is exerted thereon, so as to cause the pointed ends 13 of the spacer rods to be pulled out of engagement together in the manner indicated in Figs. 2

and 4, against individual relative movement, but leaving the group or assembly unattached and free for movement as a unit, such movement being restrained only by the inertia of the weight of the group as a whole. While the binders are thus held undertension around the assembled group of packages, the free ends 16, 21 of the binders are suitably secured together to retain said wires in tensioned application. The tension may be applied to the binders and the ends of such binders secured together in any suitable or convenient manner, such for example, as is shown and described in my application, Ser. No. 68,421, above referred to. The securement together of the ends of the binders is indicated at 19 in Figs. 2 and 4. As thus applied, tensioned and secured, the spacing members 10 are detached from the inner walls of the carrier 20, although still con-- obvious that more than one binder may be passed through the loops 11 of the spacer rods 10, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

In Fig. 3, I have shown a single binder at each end of the spacer members 10, while in Figs. 5 and 6, I have shown two binders at each end of the spacer members.

The character and nature of the binders is not of moment, so long as they are of such material as will permit the desired degrees of tensioning to be applied thereto and to retain their tension when applied and the ends thereof secured together. Where binder wires are employed, they should be of suitable gauge to afford the necessary strength.

. I11 that case, the securement of the ends may be effected by intertwisting said ends into a knot as disclosed in my prior application above referred to.

The manner of assembling the various packages, into a group assembly likewise is of secondary significance, and will depend more or less upon the nature and character of the packages to be transported. In Figs. 1 and 2, I have shown the packa es 15 as of cylindrical shape, such as rolls for illustration, which are supported vertically on their ends on the floor of the carrier and arranged in transverse rolls, the individual packages 15 of one roll fitting into the space between members of the next adjacent rolls on opposite sides thereof. In Fig. 4, I have shown a slightly different arrangement of the packages, wherein the rolls are symmetrical in arrangement with respect to each other.

Inasmuch as the spacing rods 10 are merely required to support the binders temporaril while the packages are;being assemble into a grou within the space surrounded by the bin ers, it is necessary to drive the pointed ends 13 of the spacing rod only slightly 'into the inner wall surface of the carrier, so that an extraordinary degree of tension is not required to effect the detachment of these temporary supports from the walls of the carrier, when the -tension is applied to the binders to draw them tight around the assembled packages.

By the arrangement above described, it will be seen that after the binders have been applied and tensioned around the group or mass assembly of packages and their ends secured together, any tendency of the upper ends of the packages to sway under the swaying movements of the carrier is resisted by the binder or binders applied adjacent to or near the upper ends of the assembled packages, and the strains thus imposed upon the upper binder or binders is transmitted through the spacer rods to the lower binder or binders, thereby avoiding the danger of rupture or breakage'of the upper binders and aiding in efiiciently holding and retaining the individual packages against movement, relatively to each other in the bound mass assembly.

Many variations and alterations in the mode of procedure and. the details of the apparatus would readily occur to persons skilled in the art and still fall within the spirit and scope of my invention. I do not desire, therefore, to be limited or restricted to the exact details shown and described.

Having now set forth the objects and nature of may invention and structural arrangement an a mode of operation embodying the principles thereof, what I claim as new and useful and of my own invention and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. The method of assembling and securing merchandise packages t9 prevent damage and injury thereto dur ng transit, which .consists in applying binders around the space to be occupied by a plurality of such packages and temporarily supporting the binders in such surrounding relation, then applying tension to said binders to draw the same tightly around the packages assembled in such space and to release the temporary supports, such supports serving also to space apart the binders from each other.

2. In a'merchandise stowing and securing system, the combination with a carrier, a

plurality of binders, spacer members to hold apart from each other said binders, said spacer members having means to penetrate into the walls of the carrier to form a temporary support for said binders in surrounding relation with respect to the space to be occupied by a plurality of merchandise.

binder otherwise disposed in surroundingrelation with respect to the area to be occupied on said carrier by merchandise packages of spacer members to hold the binders in spaced apart relation, such spacer members having their ends bent to form loops, the terminal end portions thereof being pointed to penetrate the inner walls of the carrier to form a temporary support thereon for the binders, said binders adapted to be drawn ti ghtl around merchandise packages, assembled within said space to hold them in unitary mass assembly, the tensioning of such binders around the packages, serving to remove said pointed ends from supporting engagement with the walls of the carrier.

4. A spacing rod for merchandise stowing and securing apparatus comprising a body portion having its opposite ends bent to form loops and having their extremities pointed in combination with binding'members to be received through said loops.

5. A spacing member for merchandise package stowing' and securing apparatus, having a body portion, and the opposite ends thereof, bent into loops with pointed terminals, the loop portions being slightly spaced apart from the body or stem portion thereof.

6. A spacing rod for merchandise packages for stowing and securing apparatus comprising a body portion having its opposite ends bent to form a loop, the terminals thereof being pointed and disposed at substantially right angles to and oflse't laterally away from said body portion.

7. A\spacing rodfor merchandise packages for stowing and securing apparatus comprising a body portion having its opposite ends bent to form a 100 the terminals thereof being pointed and isposed at sub-.

stantially right angles to and offset laterally member above the floor of the car by means of vertical stays, placing a group of separate load elementsiin close relation in said space within said flexible member and then draw ing and securing said flexible member in taut condition around said group ofv load elements.

10. The method of loaditig, a freight car.

which consists in releasably securing vertical stays. to the walls of the car, attaching anencircling flexible member to said stays, arranging a group of load elements within said flexible member, drawing said flexible member taut to remove said stays from said Walls and to cause said flexible member to hold said load elements in close relation, 1and securing the ends of said flexible mem- In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand on this 1st da of April, A. D. 1926.

L BOY F. HINTZ. 

